There are many things that should not go in a bird’s cage. The cage is the bird’s home and safe space, so it’s important to make sure it is clean, safe and comfortable for them. In this article, we will discuss what items and materials should be avoided when outfitting a bird cage. Proper cage set up and avoiding harmful products are crucial for keeping pet birds healthy and happy.
Food and Water Dishes
The most obvious essentials for a birdcage are food and water dishes. However, care should be taken to choose suitable materials that are easy to clean and will not harbor harmful bacteria.
Avoid using:
– Plastic dishes – These can harbor bacteria in scratch marks. Stainless steel, ceramic or glass are better options.
– Wood – Wood is very porous and nearly impossible to fully disinfect.
– Rusted metal – Rusty food or water dishes can leak harmful metals into a bird’s food source.
– Lead soldered dishes – Older metal food bowls may have been assembled with lead solder. Lead is extremely toxic to birds.
– Paper bowls – These are too flimsy and easily soiled.
The best options are stainless steel, ceramic or glass food dishes that have smooth, non-porous surfaces for easy cleaning. Water bottles that attach to the cage are also very safe and hygienic.
Cage Flooring
The cage floor should not contain any materials that can entrap bacteria, feces or food debris. Any gaps or crevices could allow growth of mold and bacteria.
Avoid using:
– Wood shavings – Very porous and can trap bacteria. Also may contain phenols that are toxic to birds.
– Corn cob bedding – Has risks of mold and bacteria if allowed to remain damp. Can also cause impactions if eaten.
– Sand – Can harbor microbes and is easily kicked into food/water dishes. Inhalation can cause respiratory irritation.
– Loose substrates like wood chips – Can accumulate bacteria and be scratched or thrown into food/water sources.
– Gravel or pebbles – Difficult to clean and disinfect. Can also cause impactions if ingested.
The best cage flooring solutions are metal trays or grates that allow feces and food debris to fall through. These are easy to remove, clean and disinfect between changings. Other options include cage liner mats, newspaper or paper towels that are replaced daily.
Toys
Birds love toys for mental stimulation and exercise! However, their toys should be chosen with safety in mind first and foremost.
Avoid using toys that contain:
– Lead – Older painted metal cages and toys may have lead-based paint, which can cause lead poisoning if chewed or ingested. Lead is extremely toxic to birds.
– Zinc – Galvanized metal also contains zinc and other heavy metals that can be toxic.
– Magnets – If multiple magnets are ingested, they can pinch internal tissues, causing severe injuries and death.
– Brittle plastics – These can splinter into sharp fragments if chewed. Opt for harder nylon plastic instead.
– Cotton ropes – Natural fiber ropes can cause impactions if chewed and ingested.
– Small removable parts – Bells, clips, etc. should be too large to be swallowed.
– Toxic fillings – Stuffed toys may contain bean bag pellets or polystyrene beads, which can cause blockages if eaten.
The best toy materials include stainless steel, untreated wood, rope ladders, rattles, bells and hard nylon products. Ensure toys have no removable parts and are not easily destructible into hazardous fragments. Rotate toys to keep things interesting!
Cage Accessories
Some other cage accessories to consider avoiding are:
– Paint/stain/varnish on perches, cages or toys – These can contain lead or zinc and may be toxic if chewed.
– Galvanized cages – Can leach zinc; stick with stainless steel or powder coated.
– Concrete perches – These are abrasive and difficult to disinfect fully.
– Dirt/sand covered ledges – Impossible to clean and can grow mold.
– Oven-baked clay products – May contain lead and zinc.
– Rope or wood ladders – Risk of bacterial growth and deterioration over time.
– Bells on cage doors – Can train birds to constantly ring for attention.
The best accessories are stainless steel or smooth hardwoods for perches. Natural tree branches work too if thoroughly cleaned. Avoid painted or varnished wood. Smooth, plastic-coated concrete perches are also safe if replaced regularly.
Plants
Having living plants in or near a birdcage seems natural, but some plants can be quite hazardous to birds.
Avoid using:
– Poinsettia – Extremely toxic. Even small ingestions can kill birds.
– Lilies – All lilies are toxic to birds, especially daylilies and peace lilies.
– Mistletoe – Extremely toxic. Can cause seizures and death.
– Ivy – Both English ivy and Boston ivy berries are toxic.
– Philodendron – Toxic calcium oxalate crystals.
– Elephant ear – A single leaf can be lethal.
– Castor bean – The seeds are the source of deadly ricin toxin.
– Avocados – The fruit, pit and plant contain persin, a dangerous toxin to birds.
– Rhubarb leaves – Contain oxalic acid crystals which cause kidney failure.
– Daffodils – The bulbs are highly toxic and can kill with even small ingestions.
– Any houseplant with spiked or sharp leaves.
The best plants for bird cages are non-toxic grasses and herbs like wheatgrass, oat grass and alfalfa. Some safe flowering plants are pansies, violets and marigolds. Always verify any plant’s safety before placing it near birds and remove immediately if nibbling is observed.
Treated Wood
Wood is a popular cage furniture material, but treated lumber containing chemicals should be avoided.
Avoid wood treated with:
– Stain or varnish – Can contain toxic heavy metals and fumes are respiratory irritants to birds.
– Chemical preservatives – Preservatives like creosote and pentachlorophenol are highly toxic. Trace amounts can sicken or kill birds.
– Insecticides – Any wood treated with insect repelling chemicals should not go near birds. This includes moth balls/crystals (naphthalene).
– Flame retardants – Some pressure-treated lumber contains flame retardant chemicals that can be toxic.
– Adhesives – Glue used in composites or laminated wood may contain toxic phenols or formaldehyde.
If using any treated wood, it should be sealed and fume-free for at least 3 months before bird exposure. Unfinished, untreated wood is best, or plantation grown eucalyptus lumber which is naturally insect and rot resistant. Avoid particleboard, plywood and composite woods.
Household Items and Chemicals
It may go without saying, but any household chemicals or cleaners should absolutely never go near a birdcage.
Avoid any of the following:
– Air fresheners and candles – Contain volatile organic compounds, fragrances and soot that are respiratory hazards to birds.
– Chemical cleaners – Fumes are toxic respiratory irritants. This includes bleach, ammonia, window cleaners, and other disinfectants.
– Insecticides/pesticides – Extremely toxic, even in minute amounts. Includes mothballs and ant/roach motel traps.
– Herbicides/weed killers – Contain glyphosate, 2,4-D and other bird/human toxins.
– lubricants – WD40 and other lubricant vapors can cause severe pneumonia if inhaled by birds.
– Fluoropolymers – Nonstick cookware (Teflon etc.) fumes are fatal to birds, even at low temperatures.
– Tobacco/nicotine products – Extremely dangerous toxins that can also absorb into nearby materials. Avoid smoking near birdcages.
– Moldy or toxic foods – Onions, chocolate, alcohol, caffeine products should also never be kept near birdcages.
The best policy is to keep all chemicals, cleaners, air fresheners and hazardous household products in a separate area away from your bird’s living space. Always read product warning labels for pet safety.
Material Fumes and Particulates
Even materials considered “non-toxic” may emit fumes or particulates that can be harmful to birds when confined in an enclosed space with them over time.
Avoid the following:
– Cookware – Teflon/nonstick coatings emit deadly fumes, even at low temps. Use stainless steel or ceramic cookware only.
– Self-cleaning ovens – The high heat cleaning setting releases fumes that are extremely toxic to birds.
– Paint fumes – Both oil and latex paints release noxious vapors as they cure that can sicken birds. Avoid painting near birdcages.
– Melting plastic – Heating any plastics can release toxic petroleum and VOC fumes hazardous to bird respiratory systems.
– Burnt foods – Especially overheating polyunsaturated vegetable oils. The vapors are respiratory irritants.
– Moldy cage materials – Mold releases spores and toxins into the air that severely impact bird respiratory health.
– Construction materials – New wood, carpet and fabrics off-gas volatile compounds as they age. Avoid near birdcages.
– Scented candles/oils – Even natural scented products release particulate matter that can irritate airways.
– Incense, scented sprays, plug-in air fresheners – Contain VOCs that are dangerous fumes for birds.
Proper cage ventilation and air circulation is key, as well as using unscented products labeled bird-safe. Be vigilant about any unusual odors near the cage. When in doubt, place birds in a separate room closed off from potential irritants.
Human Foods and Drinks
Sharing tidbits of our own food with birds is often tempting but can lead to health issues. Avoid offering them the following:
– Avocado – Persin toxin.
– Fruit seeds/pits – Potential to mechanical blockage and poisoning.
– Chocolate – Theobromine toxicity.
– Caffeine – Cardiac problems, seizures.
– Alcohol – Liver and brain damage.
– Salt – Leads to sodium poisoning/kidney failure.
– Dairy – Most birds are lactose intolerant.
– Cooked bones – Can splinter and perforate internal organs.
– Deli meats – High in fat, salt and preservatives.
– Uncooked beans/grains/nuts – Contain enzyme inhibitors. Must be cooked.
– Dried fruit – High sugar content promotes fatty liver disease.
Stick to a balanced pellet diet with limited approved fresh fruits/veggies. Avoid people foods, which are often far too high in sugar, salt and fat content for birds.
Nesting and Bedding Materials
Providing nesting materials allows breeding birds to satisfy natural behaviors. However, these materials can pose health risks if eaten.
Avoid:
– Yarn, string, thread – Can loop around and strangle birds if consumed.
– Cotton balls, cotton batting – Can cause impactions if ingested.
– Dryer lint and hair – Risk of matting and gastrointestinal blockage.
– Shredded paper – Ink residue may be toxic if eaten.
The safest nesting materials are untreated grasses, hay, sisal rope, jute and natural twigs/fibers. Supervise bonded pairs with babies closely and remove nests if parents seem distressed.
Cage Location Dangers
Beyond inside the cage, placement itself requires vigilance against potential hazards:
– Kitchen – Avoid cooking fumes, hot surfaces, steam, smoke.
– Windows – Risk of overheating or temperature fluctuations in direct sunlight.
– Doors – Drafts at cage level can cause chill.
– Fireplaces – Residue, fumes are hazardous. Avoid wood stoves.
– Bathrooms – Avoid moisture, chemicals from cleaners and hygiene products.
Position cages away from direct drafts, windows, fireplaces, stoves and smoke to protect bird respiratory health. Choose a quiet space in the main living area for social interaction.
Conclusion
While no environment can be made 100% risk-free, following these guidelines for avoiding known bird cage hazards is crucial for preventing illness and injuries. Always choose bird-safe materials free of toxins, impaction or choking risks, and sharp edges. Cleanliness is key for reducing microbe exposures. Proper placement can minimize ambient hazards from drafts, smoke and chemicals. With vigilance and common sense, bird guardians can manage environmental risks to support the health and safety of their avian companions over their lifetime.